London Reconnections

Monday’s Friday Reads – 4 May 2020

On 4 May 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Design, Friday Reads, Maps, Network Rail, Podcast, Tunnels

• Improving air quality at railway stations to fight Covid (RailwayTech) • London’s street parking takes the space of 10 Hyde Parks (CityMetric) • NR & Festival of Architecture reveal Sitting Pretty designs (RailBusinessDaily) • …

Friday Reads – 1 May 2020

On 1 May 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Friday Reads, History, Pedestrians

• Expanding sidewalks does not spread COVID (StreetsBlog) • Vilnius Lithuania to be turned into vast open-air café (Guardian) • Bailed out Air France not to compete with TGV (BusinessTraveller) • Strategic design needed for …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 27 April 2020

On 27 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, COVID, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Podcast, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Legal bid launched to stop government’s £27bn road building plans (Forbes) • Missing taking a train? Take a KX-Leeds ride from the cab (LNER) • Norway’s A-ha moment that made it an electric car …

Friday Reads – 24 April 2020

On 24 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Cycles, Friday Reads, New York, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• That MIT study about the subway spreading COVID is crap (StreetsBlog) • Milan’s big plan to prevent post crisis traffic pollution (Guardian) • Paris to create 650km of cycleways for post-lockdown (Forbes) • Airlines …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 20 April 2020

On 20 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, History, London Overground, London Underground, New York, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

This edition has been compiled by guest editor Rosie Greene: • Tube train door sounds transcribed (ClassicFM) • London Transport moquette designs in pictures (Guardian) • London Overground offers model for UK rail overhaul (FT-£) …

Friday Reads – 17 April 2020

On 17 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Friday Reads, History, Pedestrians, Pollution, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• The Social Distancing Machine for pedestrians (PriceTags) • New Zealand first to fund pop-up bike lanes & widened sidewalks (Forbes) • Climate Safe Streets: life without cars in 10 years (TransportXtra) • Rail station …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 13 April 2020

On 13 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, COVID, Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Stations

• Vauxhall bus station set for demolition (IanVisits) • Underground tubes used for WWII bunker (Xenophon) • Photos to vector diagrams of public spaces (UrbanNext) • Manchester rethinking zebra crossings (CityMetric) • World cities turn …

Friday Reads – 10 April 2020

On 10 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Design, Friday Reads, History, Network Rail, Pedestrians, Podcast, Pollution, Stations, Uber

• Survey of city actions to support walking, cycling during COVID (PedBikeInfo) • Coronavirus reveals transit’s true mission (CityLab) • Free rail travel to those fleeing domestic abuse during lockdown (RailDeliveryGroup) • We need to …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 6 April 2020

On 6 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, Pedestrians, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• London Review of Books reviews Tube escalators (LRB) • A lot going wrong on Ottawa’s new LRT (OttawaCitizen) • Why the US sucks at building public transit (Vice) • Map of SFO BART – …

Friday Reads – 3 April 2020

On 3 April 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Friday Reads, Micromobility

• Victoria Embankment and cholera – urban form & disease (Guardian) • The fashionable history of social distancing (TheConversation) • Dirty air, tailpipes & COVID-19 (TransportWeekly) • The Congestion Con: more lanes means more traffic …

Remembering Mike Horne

On 2 April 2020 By John Bull In Long reads, Obituaries, Railways

On 26 March 2020, the railway industry lost Mike “M A C” Horne, who passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Mike’s knowledge of the history and operation of the railways (London’s in particular) was …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 30 March 2020

On 30 March 2020 By Long Branch Mike In COVID, Friday Reads, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Manchester Metrolink opens Trafford Park line (MetroReport) • The longest ever individual load on rails (RogerFarnworth) • Budapest’s busy tram network (TheUrbanist) • Toronto & Vancouver look into closing roads for social distancing (Globe&Mail) …

Friday Reads – 27 March 2020

On 27 March 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, History, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Secret passageway discovered in UK House of Commons (NPR) • Grimshaw’s story of designing Waterloo International Terminal (Dezeen) • East Midlands stations win £161m to improve neighbourhoods (BusinessDesk) • Transport & urban form determine …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 23 March 2020

On 23 March 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, New York, Pedestrians, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Tube heating at closed City Road station to warm homes (IanVisits) • Comfort, or capitalist realism, more important on UK rails (PassengerTransport) • Barcelona Tibidabo tram reconstruction on hold (UrbanTransport) • Renfe inks $6bn …

Friday Reads – 20 March 2020

On 20 March 2020 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Micromobility, TfL, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• TfL closes 40 Tube stations & Night Tube, fewer buses next-week/ (IanVisits) • UK could nationalise transport during COVID crisis (Independent) • Why Britain should legalise e-scooters (CityMetric) • The French S-K people mover …